Senior Associate, Procurement East & Southern African (ESA) Region at Evidence Action

Job purpose

The Senior Associate, Procurement East & Southern African (ESA) Region will be a key member of the Finance & Operations department. The position holder will provide technical support to countries in the East & Southern African (ESA) Region on procurement matters and is responsible for ensuring collaboration and coordination with program teams and other departments for effective program implementation. He/she will focus on creating, delivering and optimizing procurement value ensuring that procurements are conducted in the most cost-effective way, in a timely manner and that the lifetime cost of a product is minimized and supply chains are well-designed and cost-effective. He/she will liase with heads of departments/programs to come up with detailed projections of procurement needs based on updated project work plans to determine supply needs that will facilitate the development of procurement plans. In performing his/her work, the Senior Associate, Procurement promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach.

Duties and Responsibilities

Procurement Planning

The Senior Associate, Procurement ESA will support country teams to develop annual procurement plans by;

• Collaborating with various program/departmental leads to identify procurement needs and developing procurement plans to ensure that the right goods and services are acquired at the right time, in the right quantity, and at the right price.
• Coordinating periodic review and update of the procurement plans to ensure that all needs are identified and that the plans are kept alive.
• Monitoring the implementation of procurement plans.

Coordination of Procurement Activities

• Support country teams in the identification of vendors and assessing performance to ensure Evidence Action has an effective and optimal mix of vendors. Constantly research to broaden and ensure a vendor base that is reliable and competitive.
• Periodically analyze industry trends and evolving technology to proactively identify supply-based issues, minimize risks, ensure continuity of supply, and identify emerging vendors in the markets across ESA region.
• In collaboration with technical teams, obtain and review product specifications or scope of work for services; ensure that specifications and scopes are clear, objective and complete.
• Support country teams in bidding and tender processes, preparation and issuance of EOI, RFQ, ITB, RFP or other tender documents as required.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and ensure that all procurement documentation is up-to-date and properly filed.
• Ensure compliance of all procurement activities with company policies and procedures, donor regulations and jurisdiction laws.

Imports and Exports

• Ensure compliance with regulations governing international trade, including customs regulations, trade agreements, and export controls.
• Obtaining the requisite import/export documents such as PVOC, import permits, import declaration forms (IDFs) etc.

Vendor Management:

• Supplier relationship management: Working closely with suppliers and end users to negotiate and review performance levels and identify remedial action for a reliable supply chain process.
• Ensure that vendors are compliant with Evidence Action policies and procedures put in place. e.g., Terms and Conditions, Statutory Requirements, CSI Checks etc.
• Act as a focal person for communication with vendors on behalf of Evidence Action.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and cost-effective procurement of goods and services.
• Compliance with organizational and donor procurement policies and procedures.
• Quality of procurement records and reports.
• Effective communication and collaboration with program staff and suppliers.
• Capacity building of program staff on procurement policies and procedures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement or Supply chain management .
• CIPS level 4 will be an added advantage,
• KISM membership is a must.
• Experience in the use of Google Suite applications as well as in handling of web-based management systems is desirable.
• A minimum of 4 years work experience in a position with similar responsibilities in a multinational organization.

Required Skills and attributes

• Ability to uphold and respect procurement ethics and to conduct activities with Honesty, Transparency and Integrity.
• Self-motivated with the ability to operate under own initiative and also take instructions to prioritize and manage a diverse workload.
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously to meet goals and deadlines without compromising the desired detail and work quality.
• Ability to liaise with others and work well in a team and in a multicultural work environment.
• Problem-solving skills.

Working conditions

• The official working hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm from Monday to Friday.
• Off-hour work may be required as necessary for overseeing/completing planned maintenance, participating in international conference calls across time-zones, or responding to technical emergency response.
• Travel required: Yes.
• The Senior Associate Procurement will occasionally visit offices across East & Southern African (ESA) region for purposes of oversight, training, project management, and meetings of program and country staff.